It is a romantic novel with elements of a detective novel. It tells a series of detective actions carried out by an aristocrat in the early 19th century, which, although implausible, highlight the specific role women had at that time.
The narratives also reveal the poor attention in psychiatric institutions and the ease with which a person could be declared insane, especially if they were a woman; however, both this and, more specifically, human trafficking, continue to be areas where abuses occur.
The story does not correspond to real events but to the author's invention, which takes the action to extremes and, as far as we know, seems to be taken out of context. The reader can consider it and draw their own conclusions.
In general, it is easy to read and quite entertaining, while also providing insight into some customs of the time. Alison Goodman (1966) lives in Austria and holds a doctorate in historical research.